Tim Bradley in his first fight against Manny Pacquiao, a controversial Bradley win in 2012. (Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images)

Brandon Rios returns to the ring Saturday for the first time since dismantling Denver’s Mike Alvarado in a January title bout at Broomfield. And he’ll do it against an apparently remade Tim Bradley.

Bradley brought in former Mike Tyson coach and Cus D’Amato charge Teddy Atlas to train him for the first time. Atlas, an ESPN boxing color commentator, took on a coaching job for the first time since 2011. Bradley was looking for a change of pace after winning the vacant WBO welterweight title earlier this year.

Rios (33-2-1, 24 knockouts) roundly defeated Alvarado with a third-round stoppage — after he stalked the Denver brawler, pounding him up close, then knocking him down in the third.

Ruslan Provodnikov and Mike Alvarado in the early rounds. Joe Amon, The Denver Post

About 45 minutes after his TKO loss to Ruslan Provodnikov Saturday night in Broomfield, and after HBO and Top Rank crews had their crack, I spoke with an exhausted and battered, but also thoughtful and reflective, Mike Alvarado in his dressing room.

I’ll recount that conversation in my Monday column.

Some preliminaries:

— As you can see, I had Provodnikov ahead 98-92 on my scorecard after 10 rounds. The Russian might not be a “great” fighter, but he is as relentless at moving forward and pressing the action as any fighter I’ve ever seen.

— Alvarado, who I’ve been writing about since 2008, was classy in defeat, not making excuses — but insisting he would learn from the experience and be back. He also thanked those supporting him in the sellout crowd.

— Judging from what I saw, and from what I heard from those watching on HBO, the fight should do nothing to harm Alvarado’s status as a big-paycheck name on a major card.

“He’s all action,” Moretti said of Diaz. “His style, everything about him is fan-friendly. He should fit in with the crowd and the live stuff in Colorado. He makes sense in Denver because of the kind of fans there.”

After Denver’s Mike Alvarado was paired against Ruslan Provodnikov last month in an upcoming title fight in Broomfield, interest spiked in tickets among Colorado boxing fans. But ticket details weren’t immediately announced.

But details came out Tuesday. Tickets to the Oct. 19 fight at the First Bank Center in Broomfield, with Alvarado’s WBO interim junior welterweight title on the line, will go on sale Friday (Aug. 16) at 10 a.m. That direct link is here through tickethorse.com.

Ticket prices range from $200 floor seats to $25 in the stands. They’ll also be available by phone at 866-461-6556 and at Dick’s Sporting Goods stores.

Alvarado also on Tuesday was elevated to full WBO junior welterweight champion, ESPN reported. The sanctioning body stripped the belt from Juan Manuel Marquez, as was expected.

Mike Alvarado training in Denver in March before his second bout against Brandon Rios. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

Mike Alvarado may be nearing a Fall fight against big Russian Ruslan Provodnikov, according to his promoter, and the Denver boxer has bargaining power.

Alvarado’s manager, Henry Delgado, told The Denver Post that “we call the shots now” in negotiations for purses and locations for his upcoming fights.

“We call the shots,” Delgado said recently. “We don’t convince anybody. They convince us. (Top Rank) throws some names to me, and we figure out what’s best for Mike, what’s best for his career.”

Mike Alvarado. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

Alvarado, who owns the interim WBO junior welterweight title after his 12-round decision victory over Brandon Rios in March, had been discussed as a potential opponent to face Manny Pacquiao. But those talks fell through in May — when, according to Top Rank boss Bob Arum, Alvarado missed rehab appointments for an injured finger. Pacquiao will instead fight Rios

“It’s all talk at this point,” Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti told The Denver Post on Tuesday. “There’s Marquez, Pacquiao, Tim Bradley, Alvarado and maybe Ruslan Provodnikov, and they’re all in a round robin, kind of.”

Alvarado’s camp will fly to Las Vegas this week to talk with Top Rank about the possibilities for a Pacquiao matchup.

Top Rank president Bob Arum told the Manila Standard on Monday he would like to schedule Pacquiao for an October fight in Macau, China.

But Marquez, the most logical opponent for Pacquiao — and seemingly the preferred partner by promoters and fans alike — has said he may not be interested in a fifth matchup.

That leaves Bradley, who defeated Pacquiao last year in a controversial decision, and others at or near the welterweight division (147 pounds) where Pacquiao resides. Alvarado and Rios fought at junior welterweight (140) last month for the interim title currently vacated by Marquez.

Alvarado vs. Rios II drew about 1.2 million viewers on HBO, according to Nielsen. Those ratings about matched those for a bout two weeks earlier between Timothy Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov and one last month between Bernard Hopkins and Tavoris Cloud.

Manny Pacquiao’s knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez last December drew 1.15 million buys on pay-per-view.